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Deeka

Deeka are fanatical about whatever they do and employ all of their skills to get the job done. They have little fear, or shame, and are comfortable walking around with little or no clothing. Great lengths and extreme difficulties are no setback for the headstrong and persevering deeka.

Personality

Deeka are always viewed as fanatics to outsiders who do not understand their lust for the heavens. Their worship is devout and their behavior reflects the willingness to follow the orders of the Gods. All worshipers of dark cults and dark or wicked Gods are hunted mercilessly in fashion of their fanaticism and dedication to their actions.

Physical Description

Deeka are tall, standing from 5' 6" to 7' tall. They hold their heads high and proud. Their flawless white skin is only the cover for their white flesh and blood. A deeka stands erect, fit and trim, as deeka bodies are unable to store the amounts of fat of their human cousins. Though their bodies are smooth and hairless, they do grow hair on their heads, which is lightly colored and slow growing. Most males shave their heads as common fashion. From each shoulder, a small bony bump protrudes from the tips of their collarbones, which are sturdier than most races. A deeka's face has well defined features, often with slightly jutting chins and small, nub-tipped ears. Males have pronounced jawbones. Their eyes are also pale, and occasionally fade to white, leaving a small black pupil in the bright sunlight.

Deeka dress in simple clothes for the warm weather of their subtropical homelands. Simple sashes, silken belts and light footwear like sandals are most common among city folk. They often adorn themselves with small golden trinkets and piercing, as well as tattoos. The tattoo ink comes from a local fruit, and is a bluish purple color. These tattoos are often simple crests or designs in easily noticeable locations. Deeka hands are often adorned with shekel rings, a small gold ring worth 1 silver piece, and used as common currency. This is both an aesthetic choice and a practical one, as wearing your money leaves your hands free from carrying money pouches.

Relations

Deeka rarely interact with other races. They limit their interaction with other races to trading and playing host in their city to travelers. Deeka trade goods with the aiton amazons in exchange for gold. They trade with humans for grains and spices. They trade knowledge with the elves. Typically, unless the deeka need something from another race, they keep themselves isolated. This attitude of isolationism and superiority can lead to disagreement and conflict among groups of other races. However, this prejudice often wears off over time.

Alignment

Deeka are a varied bunch, and while they may be of any alignment, they tend to stray toward the extremes of law and chaos. Because deeka look to the light, they tend not to be evil as often, which has so often become associated with darkness.

Lands

Deeka cities tend to be only found in warm climates, and surrounded by forests.

Deeka live in cities built up from the ground on large stone pillars and support columns, elevating the city to the height of the treetops. The cities themselves are made of lightly colored polished stone with gilded trimming. The buildings tower above the forest, displaying large open windows and elevated walkways stacked high into the sky. Continual flames illuminate the cityscape, so that even at night the city is bright like the day. Banners and silken canopies accent the stonework, providing a soft, lively touch to the ornate stonework. Deeka take great pride and care in their architecture, carefully planning out their cities so that they may last for ages.

The deeka are exceedingly industrious, utilizing every hour of the day. Businesses close and they gradually head off to sleep at sunset, awaking at sunrise, ready again for the day, every day of the week. However, life is hardly rigid, and most deeka freely spend their days how they please.

Traditionally, deeka do not hunt animals nor do they raise them for food. They cultivate a variety of fruits (apples, pears, pineapples and melons) and grains, but are most known for daytrees, a fruit tree related to figs with pale leaves that bears pale nutritious fruits year round. These fruits are the staple food of deekan diet. The daytree gives off a comforting sweet floral scent that permeates the city during the day. Deeka also cultivate honey and nectar for use in teas, brewing and preserving perishables. Some scholars believe that the deeka gain strength from the sun as plants do, but this has never been proven.

Each deekan city is ruled by a wise and noble leader who has proven himself in duty to his people, earning the title of Grand Cleric. Deeka lack a traditional royal family and noble court. Anyone may gain nobility through hard work and duty to his people and city. Those who gain nobility are often brought into the noble council, from which the reigning Grand Cleric often chooses a successor when he retires or dies. The Grand Cleric presides over his city as an independant state like a king. In times of tribulation, the Grand Clerics of nearby cities gather to confer their wisdom and power, uniting the deeka people in a common cause. Occasionally, goblins have been foolish enough to attempt to plunder a deekan city, but are met by the Grand Cleric's royal guard or possibly even their standing army. Deeka soldiers deal out brutality and merciless destruction as their leaders command of them.

Most deeka youth join the military to serve and train. All major deekan cities keep standing armies that train daily. Serving in the city guard for youth serves as free schooling and training with a place to stay and meals and gear until they establish themselves, though, some do stay on as career soldiers, keeping peace in the city or heading out on crusades to wipe out threats to their nation's security.

Adventurers

Adventurers, when away from their homelands, eat fruits and grains whenever possible. Meats are commonly avoided by personal tastes, but deeka will eat common foods if that is all that is available to them. Deeka that live outside of their home cities for a long time typically eat like the locals.

Deekan adventurers are often wandering to destroy incarnations of darkness or to root out threats to their cities. Warrior priests are common, as well as bards, paladins and sorcerers. Barbarians are nearly unheard of, as deeka are often too refined. A seafaring life is a common socially accepted alternative to life in the city. Goblins and other brutish races are seen as enemies and are rarely ever tolerated, especially in high numbers.

Religion

They look up to the sky in worship, though, as a people, they don't worship a specific racial deity. Deities with the Sun domain are common, as well as those with Glory or Air domains. Lawful Good deities are common as well, especially among those in nobility who seek order and prevailing goodness for the people.

Language

Deeka are raised to learn their own language, as well as Common. The Deeka tongue has a songlike quality to it, with rhythmical speech patterns. Their written language uses symbols from both the Common alphabet and Celestial runes, however, they also add accent markings to note pitch and force. Some texts are also written in a musical staff to further enhance the song-like quality of the words. Law texts and other official texts are written in standard form.

Deeka is the singular and plural form of the word, however, deekan as well as deeka are acceptable singular forms of the word to describe a member of the race, though deekan is most often used in describing something of or relating to deeka culture.

Names

Most deekan names end in vowels, with a being more common in feminine naming tradition.

Double Starting Gold: Deeka society is very rich and gold is in greater abundance and excess than in other common civilizations. Characters from a deeka city get this bonus, outsiders raised elsewhere do not.

Crossbreeding

Deeka are closely related to humans and stem from a taller ancestor race shared by humans. As such, they are capable of crossbreeding with humans easily, and also with other races that humans occasionally breed with, such as elves. However, since deeka come from a land without orcs, no known deeka-orcs exist.

Notes from Wandering Scholar Marza

“Oh, the gloriousness of the city to my eyes after having spent several miserable weeks trudging through a wet forest was to the bounds of what my soul could burden. Set in a lush river valley, and rising above the peaks of the surrounding trees, great white stone pillars supported an entire gleaming city. That view alone made my trek worthwhile, despite that a majority of my belongings were carried away when a wyvern made off with my pack mule (for which I am still praising the blessings that my miserable state made me look unappetizing).

The guards patrolling the multitude of great pillars below took pity on me as I approached and explained my condition, letting me into the city without hassle, and even pointing me in the direction of a good inn and spa. I tried to thank them for their thoroughness in duty, but the commendations only puzzled them for what they no doubt saw as simple fulfillment of their job.

The hospitality and comfort of the inn soothed my weary spirit, and the honey laden tea they served to warm me soothed my body. I was determined to stay as long as my coin pouch would hold out. All that day and the next I watched the deeka people rush about busily with their lives while I sat and relaxed in many of the comforting lofty parlors and parks spread throughout the city. All the while I remained stammered in amazement and the quality of stonework and their architectural prowess. Gilded towers of marble loomed, lit by white lights in dangling lanterns. I wandered about the city for hours, flowing from one place to the next, and always I marveled at their industriousness. I quickly located their library, the singular purpose for reasoning such a quest here.

Oh, the wonders of books and scrolls, as even the mundane knowledge of the world holds such a spell on a man that he may devote his life to its pursuit. However, I found that the library was nearly empty, with the exception of a beautiful young girl surrounded by law books. With a daring bit of flirtation, I worked up the bravery to ask her why the library was so empty. She explained to me in a sweet, intelligent voice, that the scholars are all working as engineered hired by the clergy to expand the mining operation. She went into further detail, but I couldn’t help but stare at her flawless white skin and golden charms dangling across her neck as she twittered her fingers. Even her hair was golden, pulled back into a tight and well managed bun, which reminded me of a bakery I had visited earlier and so I offered to take her there to relieve her from the stresses of studying law. The entire time with her, I could not wipe the smile from my face.

Over the next week, I spent nearly as much time with her as I did scouring the library for lost secrets, and opportunity I don’t often get, at least not without a head librarian scolding me or keeping a leering eye on me all the while. I held on to my stay as long as I could muster, even spending several days sleeping within the library curled up on a study chair. Though it was my last night within the city before I departed that I recall with the most fondness, for it was that night that I was able to embrace Aya, the deeka girl, and call her my own.

I missed her company terribly, and was determined to return as soon as I was able, though that was nearly half a year later, and under easier circumstances, as the fortuitous discovery of the wyvern’s lair led me to a trove of treasures that would fund my wandering and research for many years. My joy at seeing her again was soon laid to rest as I found that she had married and was with child. I spent many hours alone in the library that trip, leaving out of depression several weeks later. I’d never felt so stupid before, at least until I received a letter from Aya detailing that she had divorced her husband (of an arranged marriage), when it became apparent that the child was not his. So, it seems that pouring over those law books did her some good after all. I have already chartered a flying ship to travel back so that I may see her and my daughter with great haste. Oh, the joys of life.”